Initiatives

A few of the initiatives the Tobacco-Free Workgroup will be working on for the 2016-2017 fiscal year include:

Establish and maintain countywide SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) Clubs

Promotion of Florida Quitline and tobacco cessation services

Create policy and system changes that reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure

Activities, presentations, and program interventions to reduce and prevent tobacco use

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT)

Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Tobacco use accounts for a staggering 1 out of every 5 deaths in the United States each year, and 89% of adult daily smokers began smoking before the age of 18. Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) is Florida’s youth tobacco prevention organization. SWAT clubs are located throughout Florida and are committed to developing leadership skills in youth through training in tobacco issues, media literacy, policy development process, presentation skills, and evaluation. SWAT members are 11-17 years old and work to mobilize, educate and equip Florida’s youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. SWAT is a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco free future.

If you are interested in joining SWAT or establishing a SWAT club, please contact the Tobacco Prevention Program at the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County.

Point of Sale (POS)

The Point-of-Sale initiative is to educate the community about tobacco advertisement at the point of sale and Big Tobacco’s marketing strategies. Activities include conducting surveillance at retail stores on tobacco products and educating on policies that restrict the sale of tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems (i.e. e-cigarettes, vaporizers, etc.)

Young Adult Interventions

The work of Young Adult interventions includes assisting local colleges and universities in implementing and maintaining a tobacco free campus. Activities include educating the campus community about the benefits and harms of tobacco use, provide cessation and quit resources through Tobacco Free Florida and Area Health Education Center (AHEC), survey campus regarding opinions toward tobacco free policy, and create a campus task force to support and promote a tobacco free policy.

Smoke Free Multi-Unit Housing

Smoke-free multi-unit housing includes presenting on the benefits of adopting a smoke free policy to multi-unit housing management companies, educating residents on the harms of secondhand smoke exposure and providing cessation resources and referrals.

Tobacco Free Worksites

Educating businesses and community organizations on the benefits of tobacco free workplaces, providing comprehensive cessation benefits to employees and consultations to organizations and businesses interested in developing new or existing tobacco related worksite policies by assisting with the creation and implementation of policy change. Tobacco Free Worksites also includes assessing local worksite policies and promoting the Florida Quitline.

Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH)

PICH is a 3-yearmulti-targeted initiative to improve health and reduce the burden of chronic diseases. It is funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the primary work of PICH being to promote smoke-free environments in public housing and senior residential facilities. Strategies include educating community leaders and managers in public housing and senior residential communities on the benefits of adopting smoke-free policies and assisting housing with policy adoption and implementation, reducing secondhand smoke exposure through educating housing residents and the Make Healthy Happen Miami media campaign, and to promote cessation resources through the Area Health Education Center (AHEC).